Red Cross fund-raising brooch made from Zeppelin wire, 1917.

Image number: 10284567

By 1915 Germany had begun bombing raids using their airships, known as Zeppelins, on British towns and cities. This brooch was made from wire from a Zeppelin brought down during a raid on London on 3rd September 1916. Set up in 1863 at the instigation of the Swiss philanthropist Henri Dunant (1828-1910) the International Red Cross was originally established to treat casualties of war, but today also provides relief to victims of natural disasters. The British Red Cross was incorporated in 1908. The organization was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1917 and 1944. It is today known as the International Movement of the Red Cross and the Red Crescent.